EVANSTON, Ill. -- D.J. Richardson scored 18 points to lead Illinois to a 62-41 victory over Northwestern on Sunday night.

Tracy Abrams added 13 points off the bench for the Illini (19-8, 6-7 Big Ten), who have won four straight.

Reggie Hearn led Northwestern with 11 points. The Wildcats (13-13, 4-9) have lost three straight and five of their last six.

Illinois scored the first 16 points of the second half after ending the first half on a 10-0 run. Richardson's layup extended Illinois' lead to 45-15 with 13:53 remaining. James Montgomery scored Northwestern's first points of the half on a layup with 13:26 left.

Northwestern shot 25 percent from the field and Illinois shot 43.6 percent.

Illinois avenged a 68-54 home loss to Northwestern on Jan. 17.

During their winning streak, the Illini have also beaten top-ranked Indiana, then-No. 18 Minnesota and Purdue.